Opinions welcomed

[binkyb]

Hi! Obvious new poster here (and trying to type fast b/c DS is melting as I type).
I would *love* to return to see the mouse & co. w/ the family. We currently have 6, 4, 2, & 5 mo. I want my kids to get the chance to experience Disney, but am scared to death to think of taking ones this young on the trip. Any suggestions from members out there? How old were yours b/4 you went, how many did you have on the trip, and how did you manage to keep them maintained during the visit?
Sorry for discombobulated nature of post, but DS is more than upset right now--naptime calls!
Thx. in advance!

 

[cheerbop]

We went last Dec with our 21 month old, so I would think the 2yo should be fine. We are considering going ourselves next Sept when our baby that is due in Dec would be 9 months old.
Who knows? We will see when the time draws near...
Only you know how your family will be on a trip...

By the way, we also had our 8yo with us in Dec.

I did see many many families with 3 4 and 5 kids. Some with small babies, so I know it has been done.

Good luck planning!

 

[mytwotinks]

We went for the first time when my youngest dd was 2. My advice is to make the trip as long as possible so you don't feel like it is now or never during your trip. Sometimes one of us would take dd2 back to the room to sleep while the other stayed w/ dd7(turned 7 on our trip) and let her finish a couple of more rides. We stayed 11 nights so we got to go at a much more relaxed pace and I didn't freak out if we had to cut something short because it wasn't working out.

That being said........ We left w/out doing it all and I think that is always going to be the case w/ little ones.

Some of my best times were when I got to just stroll around and look in the shops and at the scenery w/dd2 asleep in the stroller. She crashed for hours at a time when she had just had too much Disney!

 

[goofydiz]

I guess it would depend on what time of the year you are planning your trip? I would be cautious bringing a 5 mo. baby in the dead heat of the summer. If you do - take breaks and go back to the room. 2 Yrs. old is an ideal time - I can't describe the joy of watching my daughter that was 2 at the time - especially with all the caracters. It's a priceless experience!

 

[AJKMOM]

Our first family trip was with 3 kids, age 2,4,6. We stayed offsite at a 3 BR condo that we got a great deal on. At that time there was only MK and EPCOT. We really planned around the kids, and if they napped in a ride, they did. We went because we love it, and have gone 9 more times in the last 15 years. We always plan to go at a slow time, and never had any qualms about taking the kids out of school for up to 5 days, especially in elementary school.

Once, we went in June after school was out, and would NEVER do it again. It wasn't worth the heat, time in line, and iffy weather-rained every day. My best advice is to use this Board to answer your questions. There are forums for Families, Budget, and best of all, the Disney Vacation club. You should read how to rent points because we found the DVC is the way to go. We bought into the Boardwalk 3 years ago because we go to WDW every other year, and it has been great so far. That would be my best tip: stay somewhere that you can relax and spread out in, be it DVC, the Fort Wilderness trailers (sleep 6), or off site. Nothing worse than jamming 4 tired kids into one room at 8pm, when you don't want to sleep.

With a large family, you do need a plan, but that's half the fun, in my opinion.

 

[Kimi313]

We took DD the first time when she was 18 months and then every year after that. We only have one though. My best advice is: 1) I see your oldest is 6 so taking him out and going during his elementary years should be no problem, so go during the cooler months until the little guys are older. 2) I would stay at the Cont, I believe they allow 5 and one child under 3 to a room. The reason I say this is with your age you probably will spending most of your time at MK and the Cont is only a short walk away if you need to get them to the room for a nap fast. Yes there is a walkway from Cont to MK. Also check rates and seasons and you could go during a cooler month when Cont has value prices then get an AAA card and save about 15% off that. Welcome to the boards there is soooo much to learn here from wonderful people!

 

[BlindTyldak]

Just me, personally, but I'd wait until the youngest was at least two. They'll enjoy it much more and think, smaller diaper bag!

What are the chances that you could take a trip with the two older ones for a few days? They are the PERFECT age, IMHO, for a first Disney trip.

 

[Disneymusicgirl]

My parents took me for the first time when I was 1yo. When I went at age 6, my little brother joined us at age 1yo as well. The only complaint my parents had about these trips in the early years was cleaning the bottles. My dad would have to go over to the baby center in Epcot each evening to wash the bottles and refill them. Luckily, we were staying at the Beach Club, so he didn't have to go far, haha.

But to give you an idea of a bigger family going, with younger kids, my aunt just went for the first time with her kids this past December. Her kids were 9yo, 8yo, 6yo, and almost 2yo. I must admit that even I was worried about her gang taking on the world! Those kids definitely keep her busy! But they had a great trip, and had no problem planning around the baby's schedule. Unfortunately, the baby did get sick for a couple days, which required one parent to stay at the resort and the other to keep track of the other 3 at the parks, but they switched off and still managed to have a good time.

Not to mention that some of the best disney experiences happen at some of the younger ages. On one of my early trips, we went to see a Christmas show at the contemporary resort. My dad had to take me out in the middle of the show, and we were just walking around the lobby outside. Well, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and several other characters dressed in their holiday finery happened to be waiting for their cue in the show, and my dad says they played with me right up until they had to go in, haha. Of course now he's kicking himself for not having a camera!

On my brother's first trip, Minnie Mouse literally came up and took him out of his stroller w/o my parents even noticing! She brought him over to a bench on Main Street and just sat there playing with him for twenty minutes. My mom completely freaked out when she noticed he was gone, but once she found him, she loved watching the great character interaction.

What it comes down to is what YOU think. Are you up for tackling the World with 4 children? And if you're wondering, will it be worth it? I can assure you that the answer's yes. But you decide that you need to wait a few more years, no worries! Disney will wait for you.

 

[tiff211]

We went last year with DD4, DD2 and I was 6 months pregnant. We went this year with DD5, DD3, and DD7 months. The baby was the easiest one. We went both times in April. It got to about 90-95 degrees. We kept them hydrated, let them guide us. We didn't do all day in the parks. Went early and left by 4-5. They take naps here but they were ok without taking them but crashed around 7:30/8. The one day we wanted to do a full day at MK, we took a break and they did nap and we went back in time for dinner and fireworks.

We utilized fast passes, rider swaps, multi-day stroller rentals and character meals, minimizing the need to wait in long lines. We made sure we were prepared with all essentials especially for the baby. We brought her carrier and put it in the stroller so we could use that if we went somewhere strollers couldn't. There is so much going on, they were content to just sit and watch and enjoy a mickey bar, if I felt we need a "chill-out" moment.

DD5 and DD3 look at the pictures and talk about the trip almost everyday and are always saying "when we go back to DIsney........" The baby may not remember the trip but I will remember the expression on her face while watching it's a small world.

It was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be, I was afraid, trust me!

Here is the baby at Playhouse Disney!

and here looking at butterflies at AK's Rafiki's planet watch

 

[cmonroe]

Back in August 04, we brought our 2.5 DD and .7 DS. It was fine. On the really hot days we kept him in the shade in the stroller while in the parks. We also put water in his tray for him to splash around with and to help keep cool. It was a wonderful trip. I think you'll be fine.

 

[thunderbird1]

I definitely would not wait until the baby is older, because your older ones will miss out on so much. Toddlers and preschoolers, though a handful, can be so mesmerized by the magic, that those trips are priceless.

My dd started late--didn't go until the day after her first birthday--but my ds went to DL for the first time when he was 4 mos. It was an incredibly easy trip, because he was nursing and I carried him in a baby sling. He slept when he wanted to, ate when he wanted to, and didn't slow us down one bit.

Recommendations? Avoid the hottest time of the year! When they're that little, you're not supposed to put sunscreen on them, and you definitely don't want to have to cover them up all the time.

Controlling the older ones? Strollers! Your 2 yo is young enough to be in a stroller most of the time; 4 yo much of the time, and even your 6 yo may occasionally want to ride. (Plus, you won't have to carry all your baby/toddler gear on your back!) I highly recommend bringing your own from home. That way, you can use them around your resort, too. The rental ones you have to leave at the front gate of the parks.

A monorail resort, if you can afford it, is definitely the way to go. At the end of the day, you can just wheel those strollers on the monorail and head for the room. With the busses, you have to get the kids out, fold up the strollers and somehow carry everything onto the bus. Ugh! If you can't swing a monorail hotel, then a rental car is the next best thing.

Once there, relax and go at your kids' pace. Don't worry about seeing everything, because you won't. If your kids fall asleep and miss some of the attractions, oh well. If there's something they're scared of, don't push them; and if there's something they absolutely must see, let them, regardless of what it does to your touring plan. That's the great thing about Disney parks--there's so much to see and do besides the attractions.

Oh yeah, and if the 6 yo (and maybe even 4 yo, if tall enough) wants to try some of the bigger attractions, you can use the parent switch to allow them to ride twice in a row without having to wait in line again (one of the perks of having babies with you!).

Good luck!